Inkjet Printing Position and Cutting Alignment Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ink-jet printers require complex procedures for adjusting printing and cutting positions, involving the detection and calculation of register marks, which complicates the process and necessitates sufficient space on the print medium.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves printing a correction value deriving image to calculate the correction value for the ink-jet head in the sub scanning direction, allowing for accurate alignment of the cutting position based on the image data without detecting the size of the printed image, using the ratio between the width of a 1-path image and the interval or overlapping width between adjacent images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If register marks are printed and detected for each image to adjust printing and cutting positions, then position alignment accuracy is improved, but the procedure becomes complicated and requires sufficient space on the print medium
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prints a correction value deriving image before the actual image printing to obtain correction data. This preliminary action allows the system to calculate the ratio of the printed image to the image data in advance, which is then used to correct the cutting position without requiring complex register mark detection for each individual image.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential correction information from the correction value deriving image by calculating the ratio of the printed image width to the image data width. This extracted ratio is then applied to correct the cutting position, eliminating the need for complex register mark detection procedures while maintaining position alignment accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If register marks are printed for each image to calculate the ratio of printed image to print data, then cutting position can be corrected, but it necessitates a number of processes associated with printing and cutting making the procedure very complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The correction value deriving image is printed in advance to obtain the correction ratio before actual image printing. This preliminary calculation of the ratio between printed image and image data allows the cutting position to be corrected without repeating complex detection and calculation processes for each individual image, thereby improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a correction value deriving image as a copy or representative sample to obtain correction data. Instead of analyzing each actual image individually, the system uses this representative correction image to calculate the correction ratio, which is then applied to all subsequent cutting operations, significantly reducing the number of required processes.
3Measurement precision
If enough space is secured on the print medium for register marks to be printed, then position adjustment can be performed, but the usable printing area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the necessary correction information from a dedicated correction value deriving image that does not interfere with the main printing area. By separating the correction data acquisition from the actual image printing, the system eliminates the need to reserve space on the print medium for register marks, thereby maximizing the usable printing area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the printing process into two independent parts: printing the correction value deriving image to obtain correction data, and printing the actual image using the corrected cutting position. This segmentation allows the correction image to be printed separately without reducing the usable area for the main image, as the correction data is derived from the correction image rather than requiring space on the final print medium.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing position and cutting position adjusting method includes: printing a correction value deriving image on a medium, the correction value deriving image is used to calculate a value of correction of an ink-jet head in a sub scanning direction relative to image data of an image, during the image is printed on the medium by the ink-jet head that discharges an ink on the medium for printing; calculating a ratio, in the sub scanning direction, of the image printed on the medium to the image data based on the correction value deriving image; and printing the image on the medium using the ink-jet head and cutting the medium using a cutting head based on the image data. The cutting head, during cutting the medium based on the image data, cuts the medium at a cutting position in the sub scanning direction corrected based on the value of correction.